Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	bind_v	remit_v	retain_v	4,873	5	9.6631	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62281	The necessity of adhering to the Church of England as by law established, or, The duty of a good Christian, and particularly parents and masters of families under the present toleration by William Saywell ...	Saywell, William, 1643-1701.	1692 (1692)	Wing S801; ESTC R40636	34,235	49

satisfied and you feel a great deal of comfort in the way you take to worship God and have the testimony of your Conscience that you do act sincerely and as you think for the glory or God But how easily may Men flatter and deceive themselves with such pretences Do not Jews and Mahometans all Hereticks and Schismaticks pretend the same And are not many of them fully as Zealous and consident in their way and do they not as much condemn you in their thoughts as you can them Nay those that killed the Apostles thought they did God service So that to rely upon an inward satisfaction Joh. 16.2 the pretence of Conscience without solid reason and foundation in Gods word is the common mistake that deludes the greatest part of Mankind If ever then you hope to appear with comfort before God you must lay aside fancy and perswasion and examine both your Faith and your Lives according to the holy Scriptures If we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel in part or in whole or neglect any part of This let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 When our Saviour began to preach this was the Summ of his Doctrine Repent and relieve the Gospel Mar. 1.15 When he sent his Apostles into the world it was with this large Commission Preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15 16. St Paul afterwards speaking of the Day of Judgment Says God shall Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Rom. 2.16 Again Christ Jesus shall he revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power The Gospel does not only contain promises but precepts duties as well as rewards And therefore our Saviour when he is asked what a man should do to be saved gives this answer If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments Again if ye love me keep my Commandments St James says whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 This contains all articles of our Creed and all other Christian duties we must not think then our Zeal for one duty will excuse our neglect of another we must not so much regard what we have done but supply that we have not done If through errour or mistake any have lived in Schism Heresie Disobedience or breach of any other command he must repent and amend for no confidence and self conceit can justifie us before God while we live in neglect of our Duty Obedience to Governours and love and unity with our fellow Christians necessary Duties of the Gospel AS our Saviour came into the World to reform the errours and vices of corrupt Nature and teach Men the principles of Peace and Vertue so in his Gospel he has given most severe commands of mutual love and obedience to his Bishops and Governours because without it there would be nothing but ignorance and errour quarrels and confusion and as it was in the Jewish Nation when there was no King in Israel every one did what was right in his own eyes so it will be in the Church where there are no Governours or none that are hearkened to or regarded every man will follow the devices of his own heart Therefore when he founded his Church the first thing he does is to appoint Governours with power not only to shut out of his Church but out of Heaven all those that contemn their authority and will not be governed by them Matt. 16.18 19. Vpon this rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdome of Heaven whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shalt be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven And though in this place it be promised to St Peter to shew that each single Bishop had that power in his respective charge whilst he lives in communion with and conformity to the Church yet Matt. 18. it is said whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and when our Saviour actually bestows this power John 20.23 he gives it equally to all the Apostles whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained Again he says he that receiveth you receiveth me he that rejecteth you rejecteth me and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me And when he was going into Heaven that he might fully provide for the order and government of his Church he gives his Apostles authority over the whole World to rule and to punish them as well as to teach and comfort them and this power is to last to the end of the World All power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore into all the World make Disciples all Nations and lo I am with you alwayes unto the end of the World Matt. 28. The Apostle Hebr. 13. bids Christians remember them that have the Rule over you who have spoken to you the word of God whose faith follow v. 7. again Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls v. 17. And 't is our Saviours express command if he refuse to hear the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen and a Publican and then he adds to shew whom he means by the Church that 't is the Bishops and Governours of his Church whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Matt. 18.17 18. So that it is beyond all possible doubt that there are Bishops and Governours sent by Christ to continue to the end of the World and there is a Church that must be hearkened unto under peril of being shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven There must be a method and order observed in appointing the Bishops and Governours of the Church that Men may know whom they ought to obey and whose punishments they ought to avoid ALL Men confess in general that Christ has left Bishops and Governours in his Church but they are not all agreed who are those who have this Authority committed to them Now there must be some orderly method for our direction in this as well as other matters or else the Authority will signifie nothing and not attain that end for which it was appointed For if every body be left to follow whom he please then all censures and excommunications will come to nothing assoon as Men are shut out from one Pastor they will run to another if one will not comply with their humour they will go to another that will and so the Christian society which ought to be the

were removed by Ordination and orderly appointment to his Charge But yet farther to keep peace and prevent confusion there must be some Canons or Rules to retain every Man within the bounds of his duty that one might not disturb another or undoe what another had done Now about chusing of Bishops and about excommunicating Offenders Bishops may vary in their opinion as it is known they often have done one may be for this Man and another for that and unless there be some Rule to proceed by there will be endless Cuarrels and Disputes therefore the general Rule of Decency and Order must come in here and we must consider what direction the Scripture has given in this Case also Now besides the Rule of common Prudence that amongst Governours of all Societies if they cannot otherwise compose any difference they must sit down by the Authority of the major part the Apostle tells us The Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets for God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace as in all the Churches of the Saints 1. Cor. 14. much more then particular Bishops and Ministers ought to be subject to the rest of the Bishops Then the general Rule of our Saviour is If he refuse to hear the Church let him be unto Thee as an Heathen man and a Publican not only no longer an Officer but not so much as a member of the Church Now all Bishops being Governours of the Church and Successors of the Apostles one as well as another has right to judge in Cases that concern the peace and welfare thereof but it is impossible they can all meet or be consulted in ordinary Cases and therefore as in the Civil state for better Order and convenience in administration of Justice or preserving Peace the World is divided into Kingdoms Provinces Counties Cities c. And the respective Governours have the certain bounds and limits of their jurisdiction and every one is to take care of all things within his own charge and not to intermeddle or thrust himself into another Countrey or Province So by direction from the Apostles the Bishops did by mutual consent set out the bounds of every Man's jurisdiction according to Cities and Provinces and Civil States have confirmed the same in after Ages Thus St James was Bishop of Jerusalem St Peter at Antioch St Mark at Alexandria St Andrew at Byzantium now Constantinople St Timothy at Ephesus and Titus at Crete c. And after them other single Persons did succeed in their places as we see it is at this Day as one Bishop dyes another is chosen and Ordained to succeed in his Office And as a City with the neighbouring Countries round it did make one Bishops Diocess so several Cities and their adjoyning Villages did make one Province under one Arch-Bishop And all matters that did concern the Church were to be determined by the mutual consent of the Arch-Bishop and of all or the major part of the Bishops of each Province and this was the Order derived from the Apostles confirmed by the general Councils S. Cypr. Ep. 68. can A post concil Nice and generally observed through all Ages of the Church As for the Authority of Patriarchs and of late years the usurpation of the Pope these are all incroachments upon the Church and so are the Assemblies of Presbyters without or in opposition to their Bishops much more the root of all confusion an independencie of every Preacher in each single Congregation and deviations from the Ancient and Apostolical Order S. Cyprian Ep. 55. concil African can 28. The standing and generall Law and Tradition was that which best suits with the rules of Decency and Order that Christians should not be drawn from their own Country should not be put to long and tedious journies but have all Matters ended at home by the Arch-Bishop and Bishops of each Province amongst themselves who best know the state and condition of the People committed to their charge and are bound by interest as well as duty to consult the peace and welfare of their Dioceses 'T is needless to cite the Canons See the 6 gen Councils and particular Councils confirmed by them the case is known to all Schollars that look into the antient Councils and Histories of the Church And according to this universal Order of the Church 't is as easie for every one to know his own Spiritual Governours as 't is his Civil Every Ones charge is allotted and all within such bounds and limits belong to the Spiritual Government of the Bishop of the Diocess and his Assistants and Minister of the Parish where he lives and thus 't is in all Kingdoms and Countries where the Christian Religion is professed and this Order and Authority all sober Divines do own and acknowledge But still it is with this limitation provided they hold the Faith and Unity of the Catholick Church and keep within the Rules of the Gospel For all Bishops and others are members of Provincial Churches and must be subject to the Rules and Order of the Province and all Provinces are members of the Catholick Church and must keep the unity of Faith of Christs mystreal body In rites and ceremonies and private opinions in lesser matters particular Churches may differ one from another and each Province or Nation may consult and provide that which is best for themselves but then as to Faith and other necessary duties that must be the same all over the World and nothing must be done contrary to the Laws of Christian Charity and that mutual Love that we ought to have for all our Brethren in Christ much less ought we to do any thing contrary to that duty we owe to our Spiritual Fathers that are set over us by the Holy Ghost Acts 20. and to the peace and settlement of the Catholick and our own particular Church or Parish Now I cannot see what temptation any rational Man that wishes well to the promoting of the glory of God and advancement of true Religion can have to change this antient Apostolical Order of a Synod of Bishops governing according to the Rules of the Ancient Church and with the assistance of their Presbyters for a Synod of Presbyters only according to the late Modell of Mr Calvin invented at Geneva Or what benefit the People would have by it who must still be left to the Minister of their own Parish neither would they find themselves in a better but worse condition Much less should make a Schism to inforce and bring in such a novelty and invasion upon their Spiritual Fathers and Brethren in Christ or else to destroy all Church Govenment as the Independants Anabaptists and Quakers do who set up Plow men and Thatchers instead of Bishops and Priests All Persons in this Nation are bound to joyn in Communion with their Bishop of the Diocess and Minister of the Parish where they live and the great sin of those that neglect this